Entries with the tag: andrei kostitsyn

But the odds haven’t kept Andrei Kostitsyn from clamouring for an opportunity to return to the NHL. He isn’t picky about where it happens. He’s willing to sign a cap-friendly, one-year deal. All he’s really asking for is a chance.

“I’m ready,” Kostitsyn told Sportsnet from Minsk, Belarus on Thursday night. “I want to say when I come there again I’ll be excited like it’s the first time. I’m doing my best — training hard and working hard.

“I haven’t really dissected (Game 3) fully yet. That’s what I’ll do this afternoon and we’ll make a decision as a group.

“I know it’s going to be very tough if I do anything. I thought everybody was pretty committed (on Wednesday), so I can’t give you a definite decision right now. But the guys that were in got the job done and they played very hard, so it would be very difficult for me at this point to give you an exact lineup for tomorrow.”

-Barry Trotz, head coach of the Nashville Predators on if the “suspended two” will play in game 4. More from John Glennon of The Tennessean.

Nashville, Tenn. (May 1, 2012) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that forwards Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn will not play Game Three of the team’s Western Conference Semifinals series vs. the Phoenix Coyotes as result of violating team rules.

“The Nashville Predators have a few simple rules centered around doing the right things,” Poile said. “We have always operated with a team-first mentality and philosophy. Violating team rules is not fair to our team and their teammates.”

Nashville, Tenn. (February 27, 2012) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has acquired forward Andrei Kostitsyn from Montreal in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2013 Entry Draft, in addition to the conditional 2013 fifth-round pick Nashville acquired from Montreal along with Hal Gill in a trade 10 days ago. Kostitsyn is expected to meet the team for its game in Carolina tomorrow.

Kostitsyn, 27 (2/3/85), has 24 points (12g-12a) in 53 games for the Canadiens in 2011-12. The brother of current Predators forward Sergei Kostitsyn has suited up for 379 NHL games since the start of the 2005-06 campaign – all with the Habs – amassing 99 goals and 210 points. He is a three-time 20-goal scorer, notching career highs in both goals (26) and points (53) during the 2007-08 campaign. The 6-0, 205-pound right wing has also helped Montreal advance to the postseason the past four years, amassing 19 points (11g-9a) in 41 career playoff games.

A 9 pm puck drop tonight as the Canadiens take on Dallas. Word is that Andrei Kostitsyn and Yanick Weber will be healthy scratches, though you never know anything with Jacques Martin until his lineup card is handed in.

It appears Lars Eller will get a further look on one of the top two lines. I hope to see Pouliot get a bit more ice time as well. It stands to reason that after a solid year thus far, and a lack of production from the top two lines, that Benny deserves a shot. Yet Benny was on the fourth line and the extra man at practice yesterday, so who knows.

As for the defence, PK Subban skated with Hal Gill towards the end of Sunday night’s loss to Colorado. An interesting tandem and perhaps a more natural fit for Subban, as Gill stays back and covers for the young Torontonian. Subban hasn’t looked as confident since his healthy scratch streak two weeks ago. Which Subban will show up tonight?

Or, at the very least, they like playing the LA Kings. The Montreal Canadiens looked determined on Tuesday, putting in an impressive night’s work in a 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings. The Habs were led by a goal and an assist from first star Andrei Kostitsyn, and 24 saves from Carey Price.

A milestone goal late in the second period was Lars Eller’s first as a Hab, 22 games into his tenure as a Montreal Canadien. While Eller has been a disappointment thus far, he has worked hard in his meagre eight or nine minutes of ice time each game. It was nice to see him, finally, rewarded.

Interesting day on the farm in Habsland. Max Pacioretty, in a radio interview with Tony Marinaro of the Team 990, expanded on an RDS article that noted he’d rather stay in the AHL for the season than be called up to Montreal. Many interpret his comments as a slight against Jacques Martin, as he noted that former coach Guy Carbonneau gave him lots of confidence by reassuring him and working with him, yet under Martin every time he made a mistake he ended up on the fourth line.

Pacioretty commented that it is better for his development to play second line in Hamilton, even if he stays for the full year, than it is to play fourth line in Montreal. And you know what? That’s refreshing. Too often guys think they deserve to be in the NHL from the start, but as we know most need seasoning. For the record, Pacioretty and former college roommate Aaron Palushaj are tearing up Hamilton in the early going, with 12 points in ten games and nine points in five games respectively.

It’s time, once again, to raise a glass and offer a toast (figuratively, of course – or not) to the NHL’s stars from a night ago:

***Cheers to Mathieu Garon of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who warded off a Philadelphia Flyers comeback attempt to the tune of 28 saves after goals from rookie Kyle Wilson (his first in the NHL) and Derick Brassard established an early 2-0 lead for the home squad. At 5-3-0, the Blue Jackets are still buried beneath Nashville, Detroit, Chicago and St. Louis in the Western Conference’s Central Division standings, making last night’s key performances from their backup goaltender and a couple of young stars that much more important.

The Montreal Canadiens won a hard fought victory Monday evening, prevailing 3-2 in overtime over the Phoenix Coyotes.

Andrei Kostitsyn scored the winner, potting a beautiful goal on a play that had him flying through the air after it was scored. Linemate Mike Cammalleri posted a goal and an assist to go along with fours shots on goal. And in perhaps the brightest story in Montreal so far this season, the Habs received more solid goaltending from Carey Price, who stopped 27 of 29 shots for the win. His best saves came late in the third, when he made a glove save on a Phoenix Coyotes one timer, and then moments later stopped a Derek Morris slapshot to preserve what was then a tie. Remember back in September when people were predicting he’d crumble under the pressure? Almost one month in and he seems to be getting better.

More impressive than anything?

After eight games, the Canadiens are first in the East with five wins and 11 points. Led by the solid play of Kostitsyn, Tomas Plekanec, and PK Subban, along with fantastic goaltending from Price, the Habs have played a reasonably tough schedule to success. Not much rest for the weary though, as the Canadiens have three more games this week, with the Islanders next up on Wednesday night.

In the latest episode of The Bolts Beat, the boys discuss the Tampa Bay Lightning’s first road swing of the season and preview the week ahead for the Bolts, Jon’s “What the Hell Was That?” segment brings up an interesting debate on replay, major penalties and the like, Mike defends referees (a sure sign of the apocalypse) and much more.

The alternative to the standard game recap became a staple of my Tampa Bay Lightning coverage last season and it was only a matter of time before it made its season debut here.

Sure, the title of the regular feature has now been copied by a second-rate Bolts blog as of this morning but the content can’t hold a candle to the original and, hell, you’re here with me and they’re, well… They’re sleeping, I’m sure, on Pacific Time and what not… (Lightning coverage from California? Now that’s insight!)

The reason for the rivalry remains unknown, however team mates on both sides believe it has something to do with sharing the same nationality. Older brother Andrei [Kostitsyn] would not discuss the feud but did state that [Mikhail] Grabovski “…talks too much in the Russian newspapers about me and my brother.”

While both players were born in Belarussia, Grabovski believes that Kostitsyn’s heritage should be questioned. “I think he is not Belarussian now, he is French because I never fight with Belarussian guys.”

Canadiens heavyweight Georges Laraque thought the prospect of the two flyweights throwing down would be hilarious.

“I think it would look really funny,” Laraque said of the potential tilt between the pair who are both generously listed at 5’11”.

A nasty hit on Andrei Kostitsyn opened the door for Georges Laraque to show why the Montreal Canadiens went looking for an enforcer last summer.

Laraque was front and centre in a rough and chippy second period as the Canadiens downed the Phoenix Coyotes 4-1 on two goals from Alex Tanguay and a goal and two assists from Saku Koivu on Saturday night, although they look to have lost their gifted left winger Kostitsyn for an undetermined period.

“Whether it was cheap hit or not, when one of your best players gets knocked out like that, you’re not going to say it’s OK - you want to respond to it,” said Laraque.